Darlene Clara Olson

Darlene Clara (Becker) Olson formerly of West Chicago IL passed away Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in North Aurora IL. She was the wife of Paul A. Olson with whom she recently celebrated 66 years of marriage.

Darlene was born in Milwaukee, WI, on December 23, 1937, to the late Walter & Hildegarde (Bredl) Becker. The family moved to Chicagoland when she was about 10 years old. She met Paul when she was just 15 and they married when she was 20.

Since she was young, her biggest goals in life were to get married and have a family. To her joy and delight, Darlene raised four boys. During those years, the family lived in Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, and Naperville.

When the kids were young, she took care of administrative work for Olson & Associates. Later she worked arranging flowers for a local florist, and then answering phones at Minirth-Meier Counseling Services in Wheaton. Yet, she always felt her biggest success in life was her marriage and family.

Her most life-changing event happened when Darlene became a Christian at 27. She said coming to know Jesus completely changed the way she talked, how she thought, the things she did and the places she went. Since then, she has been known for her strong Christian faith. Over the years she was always active in the local church: Pleasant Hill Community Church, Christian Fellowship, the Vineyard, and Community Fellowship.

In the 1980s, Darlene served as a pastor’s wife when Paul joined the staff at Christian Fellowship in Elmhurst. For 10 years they counseled many couples and served the church faithfully.

Darlene’s gift of hospitality was renown, from hosting church gatherings to welcoming house guests to stay (a day, week, month, and even years), or having a cherished friend over for coffee, or having a tea party with her grandchildren. Darlene made anyone who entered her home feel welcomed, treasured, and loved. Darlene radiated graciousness and the love of Jesus, as did her home.

Among her favorite pastimes were reading books, antiquing, and riding motorcycles. She never got to ride in an F-16, but she would have gladly suited up. She loved to laugh until she cried, to tell stories, and seemed always to have a smile on her face.

She is survived by her husband Paul; sons Donald A. Olson (Debra) of Wheaton, IL, David P. Olson (Jennylynn) of Santa Rosa, CA, Daniel J. Olson (Kristen) of North Bellmore, NY, and Steven D. Olson (Amy) of Batavia, IL; fourteen grandchildren (Aaron, Luke, Katie, Chad, Mary Beth, Peter, Mark, Cole, Emma, Gordon, Elliot, Katherine, Zachary, Alaina); eleven great grandchildren (Henry, Benjamin, Anders, Nora, Mia, Elijah, Finnegan, Maezi, Adeline, Eleanor, and Annalynn); nephew Jim Martin (Judy) of Milwaukee, WI, and Tom Becker (Ginny) of Minnesota.

A service will be held on Friday, April 26, 2024, at 7 p.m. at Norris-Segert Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 132 Fremont St., West Chicago. There will be visitation with the family from 3-7 p.m., immediately before the service. Interment at Glen Oak Cemetery will be on Saturday, April 27, 2024, with the procession beginning at the Funeral Home at 11 a.m. Contributions in Darlene's memory may be made to the Parkinsons Foundation, 1359 Broadway Rm 1509, New York, NY 10018-7867, USA listed below. For information 630-231-0060 or www.norrissegertfh.com.